Raising the bar for academic excellence

By Casey Gale
Next fall, students itching to be a cut above peers may need to raise the academic bar. In a meeting on Feb. 3, the University Academic Policy Committee (UAPC) approved a more rigorous grade point average (GPA) criterion for students to make the Dean’s list, according to the UAPC draft meeting minutes.
The change will go into effect in the fall 2015 semester, and will be applicable to both new and current students.
The Dean’s list, created at the end of the fall and spring semesters to tally the highest achieving students, currently includes 644 students in all colleges. If this change were to be retroactively applied, it would cut the number of students on the list down to 435, thus creating a more competitive tone for the academic honor. The change will be finalized when the meeting minutes are approved at the next UAPC meeting.
“The UAPC passed a more uniform set of requirements,” said Dr. David R. Dewberry, communications professor and UAPC member. “This will be an improvement for the students and the reputation of Rider University.”
As the current policy stands, students in the College of Business Administration, School of Education and School of Liberal Arts and Sciences are eligible for the Dean’s list contingent on a 3.25 GPA, full-time enrollment and no grade below a “C.”
With the change applied, students will instead need a 3.5 GPA to make the cut.
For students in the College of Continuing Studies, students are currently required to have a 3.5 GPA if taking between six and eight credits; a 3.33 GPA if taking between nine and 11 credits; and a 3.25 GPA if taking 12 or more credits. Continuing Studies students must also stay above “C” grades. The new criteria will require a 3.75 GPA with six to eight credits; a 3.6 GPA with nine to 11 credits; and a 3.5 GPA with 12 or more credits.
The new policy does not impact students of Westminster Choir College, who will continue to need a 3.7 GPA, full-time enrollment, no grade lower than a “C,” and no “Z” grades to qualify for the Dean’s list.
Some students are happy to have an added challenge.
“I just feel like Dean’s l ist is supposed to be the select few who do put effort into their schoolwork,” said Samantha Traina, sophomore education and English major. “Considering that I put in a lot of effort, I want to be put in the same bracket as people who work just as hard as me.”
Additional reporting by Alexis Schulz